By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter

Tomato pruning is something I have never really done in my many years of gardening.

The thought of removing leaves from a tomato plant seems to be a waste until I read up on the concept of tomato pruning.

But as I learned pruning tomato plants is much like going to the barbershop or beauty salon and getting that trim or haircut.

Tomato pruning begins even before the plant is placed in the ground. All the leaves of the tomato plant are removed except the top five. Once the plant is placed in the ground, indeterminate tomato plants will need to be staked and two weeks later will need to be pruned.

This pruning process continues until the growing season is over. But knowing how to properly prune and what to prune is one of the secrets to growing great tomatoes.

The first step is to Read the rest of this entry »

By Michelle Fabio

With planting season just about underway, before you know it, you’ll also have gorgeous, leafy tomato plants before you.

If you’ve been letting them grow wild without paying attention to pruning, you could be sacrificing your plant’s health and production.

Tomato Plant Health
Remember that tomato plants are just like other plants you know and love: they need good air flow to flourish, and pruning can help you create those spaces among the stalks. Fewer, sparser leaves can also help keep the leaves dry leaves so they Read the rest of this entry »

By Kira Hamman

If you grow indeterminate tomatoes, as most heirloom and many hybrid varieties are, then you’re going to need to prune your tomato plants.

Like most plants, tomatoes need light and air to thrive, and careful pruning is a great way to make sure they’re getting both.

Entire books have been written on this topic, some of them quite good, but it’s really not as complicated as all that.

To do a respectable job of pruning your tomato plants, simply follow this checklist:

1. Prune off any branches that are touching the ground. These are more likely to introduce fungus or pests to the plant, so getting rid of them is a good idea.

2. Prune suckers, the little shoots that emerge in Read the rest of this entry »